I look down at his foot, willing my fiery gaze to set his shoe on fire. “We’re done. Remove your foot or lose it.”
“Not before I get paid.”
He’s insane if he thinks he’s getting another dime from us. I’ll tell Nixon if I need to before I give him another cent. “Good luck. Payday’s over for you, asshole.” I kick his foot out of the door and begin to shut it just as his words stifle through the crack.
“Oh, I think payday is right now.” He lifts his phone to the closed window as a video plays on his screen.
The color fades from my face.
What the fuck?
“That’s right. Now, open up and offer me a burger, why don’tcha?”
“Where the fuck did you get this?”
“Well, I was going to visit my nephew. You see, he got sloppy with putting my money into my account, and just as I pull up, who do I see in a little pink car? A boy with Daddy’s eyes.”
I stand there in shock, unsure what to do. I can’t bear to watch the video any longer, so I give in and open the door. I don’t spit another word, and he follows me through the house to the back. I throw my hand out, telling that motherfucker to hold back as I open the door and yell for my brothers and Trevor to get the fuck in the kitchen.
Just as Trevor walks through the sliding glass doors, his eyes land on Jameson. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he barks, ready to fight. I throw my hand out to stop him.
“We have a problem,” I say.
“No, we don’t,” Trevor bites out, turning to Jameson.
“We do. He has a video of Nixon killing Jaxson Wheeler.”
Chapter Nine
Hayden
“We kill him.”
“No.” Trevor steps forward, putting a stop to Brock’s suggestion. Jameson is long gone and the four of us and Trevor are standing in the kitchen, leaving the girls outside, so they don’t catch wind of what’s happening.
“Why the fuck not? No one would miss him.”
“Because killing is not the answer,” Trevor replies.
“But it’s okay for fucking Nixon to just go offing people?”
“Shut the fuck up, Brock,” I snap.
Brock steps forward, challenging me. “Fuckin’ make me, bro.” I eliminate the space between us. I’m done with his bullshit attitude. Our chests bump, and Brock raises his closed fists. My reaction time is quicker, and my two hands are up, shoving him back. “Fuck you, Hay. You think just ‘cause you’re the oldest you control us all? Fuck you.”
I shove him again, and his back hits the counter. “Oh, you think I enjoy the fucking role Dad put me in? Having to grow the fuck up and babysit you three?” I regret the words the second they leave my mouth. I immediately turn to Camden. “I didn’t mean that.” He nods, hopefully in understanding. Turning back to Brock, I say, “I didn’t ask for any of this either. You wanna go live free, have at it. I’m fucking done trying to keep you out of trouble.”
Brock scoffs. “Trouble? You fucking joking me here? Coming from the guy who’s spent the last three months being nothing but trouble. Big, bad Hayden Pearson. So untouchable. You’re probably the most fucked up out of us all. But then again, our brother here might take the cake for murdering some—”
I tackle him.
We both fall to the ground and my arm cocks back, punching him square in the jaw. He manages a swift punch to my ribs. I lose my grip, and he flips me, raising his fist and getting a good shot to my nose. Before I have a chance at another swing, Trevor rips him off me.
I’m off the ground and ready for round two, but he has a solid grip on my shoulders, restraining me. I throw my shoulders back. “Get the fuck off me,” I snap, and wipe the blood dripping from my nose. Trevor obeys, releasing me.
“You need to chill out,” Nixon says, and I turn to him and explode.
“Were you ever going to tell us? Me? Anyone? You just kill someone and go on your merry fucking way?”
He shrugs, as if I asked him what he wants on his pizza and he doesn’t care. “He had to die. He was going to hurt Lucy again. I couldn’t risk him coming for Rowan…for Erica. I did what none of you would have been able to do. So shut the fuck up and get the hell over it.”
I drag my hands over my scalp and pull so hard, I fear tearing my hair out. “Yeah, so you call the fucking cops! He has a video of you. Do you understand what that means? You could go to jail. He fucking has a VIDEO!” I yell. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, but when I reopen them, Nixon is no longer in front of me. I turn just in time to see the sliding glass door slam shut and watch Nixon tread over to a concerned looking Rowan.
“He won’t tell her. Don’t worry.”
I look at Camden, then back to Nixon, who’s now cradling Erica in his arms. “What?”
“He won’t tell Rowan about her dad. It would kill her. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
I shake my head. Hurting Rowan’s feelings is the last thing on my fucking mind right now. I have to figure out how to fix this. I can’t let my brother go to jail.
All these years, and he kept this secret to himself.
“We need to get those videos,” I say to the room.
“Yeah, but to get them, we have to pay. A lot,” Camden says. Jameson demanded five hundred thousand dollars. Technically, that’s pocket change for us, but he demanded that once a month to keep quiet or he sends the video to the cops. He gave us twenty-four hours to decide where the fate of our brother’s future lies and left with a smile on his face knowing he had us. He also made sure we knew he had a copy if we tried right then and there to take him out.
“Even if we pay, we have no idea what he’ll do with the video. We have no idea how many copies he’s made.” He could have more than the two he claims.
“What do you need me to do?” Camden asks, and I turn my eyes on him.
“Nothing. You stay the fuck out of this. I don’t want you near this. You have too much to lose. I’ll handle it.” There is no way I’m going to allow him to fuck up his future.
“I agree with Hayden on this one,” Brock chimes in. “He and I will handle this.”
I turn to my brother. “No, you won’t do shit either. You will stay just as far away from this as Cam.”
Brock throws his hands up. “Seriously? Can you never not have complete control? You know what? Fuck it. You win. I’m outta here.” He storms out through the front door, and minutes later, we hear him peeling out of the driveway.
No one speaks until the silent tension is broken by the sliding glass door opening and Lucy appearing through it. “Everything okay in here?” Trevor walks up to her and pulls her into his chest.
No, everything is not fucking okay.
We’re fucked.
There’s no other way around it.
* * *
The second the door to my condo shuts, I’m on her. “I need to fuck you,” I tell her, no apology in my tone. I need to be inside her and fuck her hard and ruthless. I grab her shoulders and bring her against the door. Her eyes light up. She always loved it rough. I’m pleased to see she still does. I rip the front of her bathing suit cover-up off without a care and pull at the strap to her top, then bottoms, until she’s completely naked before me. “How is it possible that you get more and more perfect,” I praise her, squeezing her tit in my hand.
“It’s tough, but I seem to manage,” she laughs, ending on a moan when I pinch her nipple between my fingers. “Hayden…”
The sound of my name off her lips is like heaven. I never thought I would have her back in my life.
“Yeah, baby?” I take my knee and widen her legs, so I can get to where I crave to be. “You wet for me already?” I already know she is. I just want her to admit how aroused she gets for me.
“Soaked,” she purrs, making my dick hard as stone. My hands find her pussy, and just as I thought, she’s drenched.
“Naughty girl. I’m gonna have some fun with this pussy.” She can’t even hide the excitement from my comme
nt. My dick jolts at the mental image of all the ways I plan on taking her. I spread her lips open and shove two fingers inside her. Her moans become muffled when I slam my mouth on hers.
Thrust.
Thrust.
Thrust.
I pump my fingers deep inside, fucking her with my hand, until I feel her death squeeze around me. “Jesus,” I grunt, ripping my fingers out. I tear my board shorts off. “Turn around,” I growl, then grab her waist, whipping her around. Her hands go up against the door and I spread her legs wide for me.
“This ass is mine. Only mine,” I state.
My mind is so fogged over with lust, the urge to take and control her. I take my palm and slap it across her pale skin. She jumps at the assault, but there’s no hiding the small moan that follows. “You’re mine. Do you hear me?” She takes too long to answer, so I swipe my open palm across her now pink cheek.
“Yes, I’m yours.” God, she’s so fucking sexy. Her voice, low and dripping with need.
“Good.” I take my raging hard cock and shove it in her from behind. I fuck her and fuck her and fuck her until a deep growl travels up my throat. My balls tighten and my orgasm shoots through me, almost knocking me out.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that I just came inside her. It’s not the first time, and fuck if it will be the last. I’m feeling so goddamn territorial over her, I’m tempted to smear my cum all over her so everyone knows who she belongs to. The thought alone has me hard again already and pumping inside her.
“Another round? I must be a lucky girl,” she teases.
“Oh, baby, hope you like it here, because I’m gonna fuck you so long and hard, you won’t be able to walk—just to make sure you can never leave.”
* * *
“You wanna talk about it?”
It’s two in the morning and we’re finally falling into bed, completely spent and sated. I followed Brock’s lead and got the fuck outta that house. I told everyone to sit tight and I’d reach out first thing. Trevor made me promise not to do anything irrational. I agreed, knowing I was lying. He doesn’t get to make the decisions for this family. This is my burden to bear.
“I can’t right now. I don’t want to keep anything from you, but it’s just some family shit I gotta take care of.” She looks concerned, so I ease her worries. “Don’t worry, I’ve let all the Trevor bullshit go—something I should have done a long time ago.”
She cuddles up closer to me, and I hold her tight in my arms.
“Hayden, can I ask you a question?”
“Anything, beautiful.” I kiss the top of her head.
“Do you think you’ll ever sell the house?”
“Why, you lookin’ to buy it?” I tease, giving her body a playful shake.
“No, just curious. Just wonder why you still hold onto it. If you’ll stay here once Cam goes off to college.”
“I figured we’ll just live here until Cam leaves, then we can look for a place of our own closer to the beach.”
“Wait...” Katie pulls from my embrace and sits up. “Hayden, I’m not staying.”
Confusion strikes. I shake my head. “What do you mean you’re not staying? Of course you are. You said you’re mine.”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean—”
Those eyes. She’s always been one to reveal so much just by looking at her. She’s gonna leave again. Just like before. Why would I think she would want to stay and be with a fuck up like me?
I sit up. “The fuck it doesn’t,” I snap and toss my legs out from under the sheet.
“Hayden…just…let’s talk about this.”
“No, fuck that. I thought we were good. I love you. I know you fucking love me. So what’s there to talk about?”
“History repeating itself.”
It’s as if she slapped me. Her words sting.
“Please understand where I’m coming from. I love you, but—”
“Bullshit you do!” I yell and climb out of bed.
“What? How can you even question that?” she cries.
“Are you for real right now? You just told me you have no intentions of being with me.” Storming over to my dresser, I rip open the top drawer and grab a pair of boxers.
“No, I said I wasn’t staying. That’s different.”
“Well, good, thanks for letting me in on your plans.” I grab a t-shirt and throw it over my head. “Next time you’re in town, make sure to give me a heads up. I love a good weekend fuck.”
My words cut her even deeper.
“Don’t do this again.”
“Do what? Make sure I know next time I’m just a fuck to you?”
“No, try to degrade what we have.”
“We have?” I bite back. “What we have is you toying me along, making me think I had you back and then informing me I had it all wrong.”
“Hayden, I never expected this, and when it all happened, it happened so fast…just like before. I need to be guarded about my decisions this time.”
That jolts me.
I pause, my voice eerily calm. “You have to be guarded around me?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Is this because of that night? You’re afraid I’d what? Hurt you or some shit?”
“No, Hayden—”
“Fuck it, I don’t need any more details. I get it.”
“Hayden, please!” she pleads for me to listen, but I can’t. I jam my legs into a pair of jeans and walk out of my bedroom.
“Hayden!” she calls my name again, with no response. I grab my phone off the counter and notice a text from a random number.
1-652-555-6552: Meet me at 1421 Timber Drive. Bring my money.
I click open an attachment, and my stomach turns as the video begins to play. Bile rises up my throat as I watch Nixon wrap a noose around Jax Wheeler’s neck.
Random images of Nixon as a happy child flash through my mind. Him smiling. Playing with us older brothers. Today holding Erica.
He doesn’t deserve this.
He deserves a happy life.
The feeling that resonates inside me is purpose. Like a calm before the storm. I know what I need to do.
I walk back to my bedroom and dig through my closet. I reach what I’m looking for and pull out the wooden box. I take a quick glance at my mother’s initials before opening the box.
“What are you doing?”
I ignore Katie’s question, pull out the gun, and stuff it in the back of my jeans.
“Jesus, Hayden, what are you doing!”
I stand and walk out. Katie is fast on my heels. “Hayden, you’re scaring me. I’m calling Trevor!”
I make it to the door before turning to her. “Good. At least you’re finally being honest with me. Have a safe flight home.” Opening the door, I walk out, slamming it behind me.
Chapter Ten
Hayden
I pull up to the address Jameson texted me, but there’s not a light on in the run-down house. I expected it to be nicer considering all the money he’s scammed from Trevor the past eight years.
I get out of my car and walk up the pathway to the front door. The grass is a foot tall with wild flowers along the walkway. I wonder if he’s been here the whole time. Knowing Wyatt Brandon has been dicking me over for months, I wonder if he even bothered looking for him.
I take a closed fist to the door and bang three times, letting him know I’m here. The weight of the gun feels like a million pounds in the back of my jeans. My phone continued to ring the whole way over her with Katie’s number popping up, so I shut it off. I need to focus. I can’t think about the pain that will soon settle in knowing she’ll be gone again.
I need to focus on my family. My brothers.
This is what family does for one another.
They sacrifice.
My impatience is growing, so I bang again, this time even harder. The door creeks and opens. “The fuck?” I push it the rest of the way and walk in. My eyes need to adjust to the darkness. Even with the sun begi
nning to pop through, it’s hard to see. “Where the fuck are you, Vincent? Let’s get this over with.”
I walk a little farther into the house, but still, nothing. If he’s not even here, I’m going to fucking lose my shit. I flip on a light switch, but nothing happens. The place almost looks like it’s been ransacked.
My intuition is starting to tell me this is a bad idea. I should come back at night. How am I going to shoot a man in daylight? How am I going to kill a man who isn’t even fucking here? “Jameson!” I call out again, but nothing. “Fuck!” I kick a box on the floor and a red blinking light appears. I bend down to investigate, realizing it’s a recorder.
He was going to record us.
I click stop and rewind it to the start.
“What took you so long—?”
Oomph… “What the fuck, asshole!”
“Well, that’s no way to talk to your son, is it?”
Nixon.
“You should learn some manners on how to treat your elders—”
Oomph… “Goddammit, boy!”
“Get up. We’re takin’ a trip.”
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere. Got plans with your other psycho brother—”
Oomph… “Jesus, put that bat down.”
“Get up. I’m not going to ask you again.”
“Where the fuck we goin’?”
“To a favorite place of mine. With a postcard view.”
Sounds of shuffling and the slamming of the door is the last thing I hear before the recording turns to static. Fucking Nixon. What has he done? I listen to the tape once more, trying to figure out where he’s taking him.
With a postcard view.
“Think, fucking think…”
Postcard…
The cottage house on the beach Dad bought for him and Rowan. Nixon always laughed at how cute Rowan thought it was and joked about how it had a postcard view.
Fuck!
I run out the door and speed away, hoping I’m not too late.
* * *
I pull up to the house, and sure enough, Nixon’s car is parked in the driveway. I jump out and run to the front door, bursting through it. “Nixon!” I yell his name, but I don’t have to look far to spot him—or Jameson. “Nixon, don’t,” I say, my eyes glued to the gun he has pointed at Jameson’s head, who’s tied to a chair.
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